A Potential Renewed Use of Very Heavy Ions for Therapy: Neon Minibeam Radiation Therapy

Department of Charged Particle Therapy Research, National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555, Japan

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Department of Accelerator and Medical Physics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555, Japan

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Ionizing Radiation Research Group, Physics Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain

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Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, Université de Paris, IJCLab, Pole Santé, 91405 Orsay, France

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Experimental Radiotherapy Platform, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, Université Paris Saclay, 91400 Orsay, France

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AnaPath Services GmbH, Hammerstrasse 49, 4410 Liestal, Switzerland

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Department of Radiology Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, CCM Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Academic Editor: Dietmar Georg

Cancers 2021, 13(6), 1356; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13061356

Received: 24 February 2021 / Revised: 9 March 2021 / Accepted: 12 March 2021 / Published: 17 March 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research in Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapies for Cancers)

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The treatment of hypoxic tumours continues to be one of the main challenges for radiation therapy. Minibeam radiation therapy (MBRT) shows a highly promising reduction of to-xicity in normal tissue, so that very heavy ions, such as Neon (Ne) or Argon (Ar), with extremely high LET, might become applicable to clinical situations. The high LET in the target would be unrivalled to overcome hypoxia, while MBRT might limit the side effects normally preventing the use of those heavy ions in a conventional radiotherapeutic setting. The work reported in this manuscript is the first experimental proof of the remarkable reduction of normal tissue (skin) toxicities after Ne MBRT irradiations as compared to conventional Ne irradiations. This result might allow for a renewed use of very heavy ions for cancer therapy.

Abstract

(1) Background: among all types of radiation, very heavy ions, such as Neon (Ne) or Argon (Ar), are the optimum candidates for hypoxic tumor treatments due to their reduced oxygen enhancement effect. However, their pioneering clinical use in the 1970s was halted due to severe side effects. The aim of this work was to provide a first proof that the combination of very heavy ions with minibeam radiation therapy leads to a minimization of toxicities and, thus, opening the door for a renewed use of heavy ions for therapy; (2) Methods: mouse legs were irradiated with either Ne MBRT or Ne broad beams at the same average dose. Skin toxicity was scored for a period of four weeks. Histopathology evaluations were carried out at the end of the study; (3) Results: a significant difference in toxicity was observed between the two irradiated groups. While severe da-mage, including necrosis, was observed in the broad beam group, only light to mild erythema was present in the MBRT group; (4) Conclusion: Ne MBRT is significantly better tolerated than conventional broad beam irradiations. View Full-Text

Keywords: minibeam radiation therapy; heavy ion therapy; hypoxic tumors; normal tissue toxicity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Prezado, Y.; Hirayama, R.; Matsufuji, N.; Inaniwa, T.; Martínez-Rovira, I.; Seksek, O.; Bertho, A.; Koike, S.; Labiod, D.; Pouzoulet, F.; Polledo, L.; Warfving, N.; Liens, A.; Bergs, J.; Shimokawa, T. A Potential Renewed Use of Very Heavy Ions for Therapy: Neon Minibeam Radiation Therapy. Cancers 2021, 13, 1356. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13061356

AMA Style

Prezado Y, Hirayama R, Matsufuji N, Inaniwa T, Martínez-Rovira I, Seksek O, Bertho A, Koike S, Labiod D, Pouzoulet F, Polledo L, Warfving N, Liens A, Bergs J, Shimokawa T. A Potential Renewed Use of Very Heavy Ions for Therapy: Neon Minibeam Radiation Therapy. Cancers. 2021; 13(6):1356. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13061356

Chicago/Turabian Style

Prezado, Yolanda, Ryochi Hirayama, Naruhiro Matsufuji, Taku Inaniwa, Immaculada Martínez-Rovira, Olivier Seksek, Annaïg Bertho, Sachiko Koike, Dalila Labiod, Frederic Pouzoulet, Laura Polledo, Nils Warfving, Aléthéa Liens, Judith Bergs, and Takashi Shimokawa. 2021. "A Potential Renewed Use of Very Heavy Ions for Therapy: Neon Minibeam Radiation Therapy" Cancers 13, no. 6: 1356. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13061356

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A Potential Renewed Use of Very Heavy Ions for Therapy: Neon Minibeam Radiation Therapy

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